Criminal Girls: Invite Only puts a fresh twist on the JRPG on PS Vita this week

Your team is being decimated. Everyone’s down to 10 HP or less. But there’s hope, one more slash and the enemy’s toast. Kisaragi has the initiative so you tell her to attack. This is it…

“I don’t want to, and you can’t make me!” Wait. What?

Not really what you expect to hear when you ask your teammate to do something in an RPG, is it? Criminal Girls: Invite Only, out this Friday, 6th February, on PS Vita, reimagines the obedient teams of traditional RPGs under a new paradigm. These girls didn’t volunteer to help you. They’re delinquents who have been damned to an eternity in Hell. It’s your job to teach them the value of hard work and guide them on their way out of the fiery embrace of Hell.

So who are the sinful girls you’ll be turning into a cohesive and heavenly team? Let’s meet them.

Kisaragi is the first firebrand in your troupe. From the get-go, her obsession with status and money are apparent. Her tongue is sharp, and her words can turn to venom. Turned in the right direction though, she can be a great asset to your team.

Alice is the quiet one. To call her mysterious would be an understatement. Constant whispers beneath her breath, half-spoken sentences, and allusions to things that could be illusion or real. Looking into her seemingly vacant eyes could be enough to give the most stalwart man chills.

Tomoe is the type of girl I dreamed of in the heady days of adolescence, and she knows it. Her words make people dance like puppets, and she seems to always get what she wants. Though her body looks soft, she’s tough enough to break you in two, and isn’t afraid to slice and dice if you’re not nice.

Shin is unashamedly my favourite. She’s smart and a hardcore gamer at heart. Her MMORPG mastery makes her excellent at strategising, but unfortunately, she’s the type to rage-quit. Teaching her inner calm could just make her the most useful member of a coordinated team.

Sako tends to border on the overbearing. She’s constantly looking out for her sister, Yuko, and can turn into a little ball of rage when something threatens either of them or their relationship. If you get her to calm down, maybe her fiery temper could be guided in a more useful direction.

Yuko is a nurturer by nature. She’s grown up worrying for her sister and making sure that everything’s okay. Unfortunately, she’s also the laziest girl I’ve ever met. Not exactly who I’d want to be taking care of my ailing Grandpa, if you know what I mean.

Ran doesn’t quite run the show, but does run over people. She might have been the leader of her local chapter of the MMA club when she was alive, so it’ll take some work to get past the defensive walls she’s built up, but it’s well worth it.

Each member of your team has their own personality and unique backstory to uncover. Why are they condemned to Hell? What are the sins you must help them atone? Discover each woman’s unique past as you guide them through the Reformation Program tomorrow. Consider this your invite. ;)

For more information, check out NIS America’s Criminal Girls page.